Bond
by mostenoble
Summary: /I'm trusting you/ James is in first year, with the two best friends any boy could ever have, and he loves it. Remus is the quiet fourth wheel who sleeps in their dorm and hangs out with Lily Evans. James knows Remus is a tattle, and Remus knows James is too reckless for his own good, but that doesn't stop them.


**"Whenever I'm sad, I stop being sad, and be awesome instead." (How I Met Your Mother)**

 **I do not own How I Met Your Mother or Harry Potter, sadly, for otherwise I would be very rich and own more Doctor Who DVDs.**

* * *

James stretched out on the bed like a lazy cat, shoving the scarlet blanket to one side and flopping, face down, onto the gold pillow. One hand moved back and peeled off his robes, for they were becoming increasingly hot and heavy as Spring blew away and Summer rolled in like an oncoming storm. His fingers clawed at his tie, ripping it off of his sweaty neck, and he chucked it carelessly at Peter's bed, the one next to his. It hit the red curtains and crumpled in a pile of wobbling Transfiguration books.

"I hate school," he grumbled into his pillow, ruffling his own dark hair. "I want it to be the holidays already. He rolled over to face the ceiling, sighing and stretching his arms out above his head, narrowing his eyes as he stared intently at his fingernails. He heard a creak of the door and quickly bought his hands down, knowing that if it were Sirius he would be made fun of forevermore. Careful to look careless, he tossed his head to one side, and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Remus Lupin, a stammering, tall boy with thin brown hair and a scarred face. James and Sirius had tried to press him for details a few times, but he always brushed it off. He was clever, and a suck-up (as was to be expected), and while they had originally wanted to recruit him to their little gang to help them stay out of trouble, they later decided he was too much of a teacher's pet to be bothered with. Best to stay out of his way.

"James?" The thin boy knelt down and flipped open his trunk, gingerly pulling a chocolate frog out and unwrapping it. He studied the card for a moment, then dropped it on Sirius' bed; despite the amounts of chocolate Remus ate, he didn't collect them, instead giving all his cards to Sirius instead, who much appreciated it. James rolled over and flopped onto the floor, landing on his belly, and for a moment his bones hurt. And then he laughed, really sort of chuckling. He ruffled his hair.

"Remus, hey," James awkwardly climbed to his feet, and then scrambled onto his bed, standing on it. "I have a question for you." He didn't, really, but he'd think of one; he didn't know where Sirius or Peter was, and James hated not talking to anyone. Slowly, he bent his knees and then began jumping up and down, listening to the easy sound of the springs creaking. His mouth broke into a smile, and he flashed it bright at Remus, who didn't mimic it.

"We could trade questions, maybe." Remus sat down, pulling a Defence Against the Dark Arts book out of his bookbag and laying it out on his lap, flipping to the bookmarked page. "What do you want to ask? Did you miss something in Potions?" Remus' face darkened, his eyebrows narrowing and his mouth growing tight. "You and Sirius didn't try some stupid potion, did you?" He cast a glance at the bathroom. " _Please_ don't tell me I have to clean up Sirius-vomit because you three don't know how _again._ "

"We aren't that dumb!" James folded his arms.

"You're jumping on your bed."  
"And?!" James bent his legs further and threw himself upwards, now trying to bounce even higher than before. "Oh, nevermind, my turn to ask a question; do you think I can make the Quidditch team next year?" He jumped higher and higher again, and Remus rose one eyebrow while the other furrowed.

"How would I know?" James knew how he would know, he'd been paying attention. In Flying Lessons, Sirius had been on the side closest to Remus and Peter on the other. They'd been told to say 'Up', and James was the first one to get his broomstick to fly into his hand. Sirius had nudged him, and pointed out the shabby boy who was the fourth in their dorm. Remus had been staring at James, but looked away quick enough. Their next task had arrived. James was the first to hover above the ground for a minute, too, not wavering once. Remus had smiled, then.

"You've been staring!" James bounced one last time and tucked his legs up, falling onto his bottom on the bed with a _crash._ "I saw you, Sirius saw you."

Remus went bright red, and James smiled. Remus cast his face down, soft shadows falling across his sharp features. He shook his head, and a ragged piece of hair fell out of place. "Not at you." It was hardly more than a mumble, and James barely heard it. He cocked his head to one side, dark hair falling rugged over dark skin, pursing his lips. "I'll ask my question, now." Remus' voice had grown quiet, but unmistakably articulate. James puffed out his chest.

"Don't worry. I already know what the question is."

"No, you don't."  
James scoffed. "Of course I do. You want to be my friend. You want to be apart of our gang - we call ourselves the _Marauders._ You want to be a Marauder."  
"I really don-"

"I know you do. But you do have other friends, don't you?" The Ravenclaws seemed like Remus' type, studious and shy. James was certain he had lots of friends in Ravenclaw. _They probably all braid each other's hair, like Sirius and I do,_ he thought, _but they probably study while they braid._ James shuddered inwardly, a foul taste on his tongue.  
"Yes - Lily Evans, for one." James opened his mouth. "That wasn't my question, though, James. My question was.." Remus' cheeks went redder than before and sweat started to trickle down his face. James frowned, biting his lip.

"What was it, then?" James tapped his fingers on the bed, swinging his legs back and forth. He was beginning to think that he shouldn't have bothered. Thoughts of Sirius and Peter pranking someone without him danced in his head, and the swinging of his legs grew more insistent. Remus looked up, lips trembling.

"I've asked Lily, and she's helpful and all, but...What do you do when you're sad, James? Because you're my roommate, and I don't want to make enemies of you...But I'm trusting you not to tell anyone, okay? What do you do when you're sad?" Remus' mouth barely opened at all, and James noticed Remus' long nails digging into the sheets. James climbed to his feet and walked towards Remus' bed, opposite from his.

"Whenever I'm sad, I stop being sad, and be awesome instead." James lent the other boy a smile. "But if you have friends, you shouldn't be sad, should you?" Remus was quiet, just looking up at James, and something in James' chest gave a sharp pang. His mouth went dry, and he wondered, maybe, just maybe, if Remus' only friend actually _was_ Lily. "Actually.." he trailed off. Sirius would probably be mad with him if he did this. But if Remus could help them get around the rules..."If you promise not to tattle on us, you can be our friend, Remus."

And from that very moment until death, he was.


End file.
